The Council of Socialist International, a worldwide organization of social democratic, socialist and labor parties, adopted Saturday a decision to support the immediate recognition of the Independent State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital, and called on its 168 member parties to present the call to their respective governments, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Dr. Mustafa Barghouti said on Sunday.

The decision supports the draft resolution to be submitted by the Palestinian delegation to the UN Security Council by the end of this year, calling for the immediate lifting of Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip and the facilitation of comprehensive reconstruction.

The resolution reportedly will call for an international conference to end the Israeli occupation and an immediate and comprehensive halt to Israeli settlement construction in both the West Bank and Jerusalem. Additionally, it will demand a halt to the demolition of houses and eviction orders on Palestinians in Jerusalem.

The statement by Socialist International stresses the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital via an immediate termination of the Israeli occupation.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti delivered a speech in front of the congress explaining in detail the war crimes committed by Israel during this summer’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. He touched on the level of humanitarian suffering and “numerous crimes Israel has committed against the Palestinian popular resistance.”

“Israel has killed 2265 Palestinians during this year alone, injured tens of thousands and demolished more than 50 thousand homes, none of which have been rebuilt thus far,” Barghouti said.

Barghouti repeated his call for a comprehensive boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel, similar to that which was enacted against the apartheid regime in South Africa. He also reaffirmed his call to drag Israel to the International Criminal Court, a move strongly supported by the represented of South Africa during his speech to the conference.

Dr. Barghouti, a minister of the Palestinian parliament, pointed out that Israel currently holds more than seven thousand Palestinian prisoners, including political leaders—Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Saadat and Hassan Yousef—and 26 parliamentarians. He demanded an international campaign to force Israel to release all of its prisoners.

Barghouti pointed out that Israel has combined the displacement of Palestinians, ethnic cleansing and the longest occupation in modern history and become an apartheid state.

“Apartheid is worse in our system,” Barghouti said. “We must confront it with popular resistance, an international boycott and sanctions movement and support the Palestinian reconciliation and unity deal.”